Built for the Italian Navy, the universal landing ship Trieste went to sea for the first time to pass factory sea trials. It will be transferred to the fleet in 2022.
Italy has put to sea the UDC L 9890 Trieste, which will become the largest ship of its Navy, surpassing even the aircraft carrier C 550 Cavour.
The ship entered the tests from the Fincantieri shipyard, located in Mudgiano. The transfer of the ship to the fleet is scheduled for the summer of 2022. As part of the Italian Navy, it will replace the C 551 Giuseppe Garibaldi — a light aircraft carrier that was the flagship of the Italian Fleet until the aforementioned Cavour entered service.
Trieste
Image source: Giorgio Arra
The ceremony of the first steel cutting for a universal landing ship was held in Castellammare di Stabia on July 12, 2017. The official bookmark was held on February 20, 2018. The ship was launched on May 25, 2019, and in January last year it was towed for completion to the shipyard in Mudgiano.
Trieste
Image source: Giorgio Arra
Trieste has a standard displacement of 25,816 tons and a total displacement of about 33 thousand tons. The length of the ship (the largest) is 245 meters, the width (the largest) is 47 meters. The full speed of the UDC is 25 knots.
Trieste
Image source: Giorgio Arra
UDC L 9890 Trieste has a capacity of more than 1000 people, including 600 paratroopers. 12 large AW101 and NH90 helicopters or a group of about 20 large and medium-sized rotorcraft can be permanently based on the ship. It is possible to accommodate from four to eight fifth-generation F-35B fighters and from four to nine helicopters.
Trieste
Image source: WarshipCam
A universal landing ship is a subclass of a landing ship that combines most of the functions necessary for the landing of marines. The problem of coordinating the actions of different landing ships manifested itself during the Vietnam War. In addition, the fighting showed the need to have staff ships that would coordinate amphibious operations.
Russia does not have such units in the Navy: the previously concluded contract for the supply of Mistral-type UDC to the fleet was terminated due to political contradictions in 2015.
Meanwhile, Moscow did not abandon its plans: last year [...], two universal landing ships of Russian design were laid in Kerch. If nothing changes, the first of them will be put into operation in 2028.
We also recall that in 2020, the United States commissioned the ship USS Tripoli — the second UDC of the America type. Now these are the newest and most advanced universal landing ships in the arsenal of the American Navy.